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Community-oriented primary care: a path to community development.
1Department of Community Health and Social Medicine, City University of New York Medical School, New York 10031, USA. jgeiger@igc.org
American Journal of Public Health
|October 31, 2002
Summary
Community-oriented primary care (COPC) implicitly fosters social change by involving communities in health problem assessment and intervention design. A Mississippi Delta health center demonstrated this by addressing root causes of illness through community-led educational programs.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Community Medicine
- Social Determinants of Health
Background:
- Community-oriented primary care (COPC) emphasizes community participation and understanding of social determinants in health.
- Traditional primary care often focuses on disease-specific interventions, potentially overlooking broader community needs.
Observation:
- A community health center in the Mississippi Delta initiated programs in the mid-1960s.
- These programs aimed to address the root causes of community morbidity and mortality, moving beyond disease-specific approaches.
Findings:
- COPC's inherent structure supports community development and social change through local participation and shared understanding of health issues.
- Community-driven initiatives, such as educational programs, can foster self-sustaining processes of health-related social change.
Implications:
- COPC models can be powerful tools for achieving broader social change and improving community well-being.
- Integrating community skills and addressing social, physical, and economic factors are crucial for effective public health interventions.